The Marauder Book Club
by marauderette-for-life
Summary: It began with the misuse of a time-turner, and the discovery of a very special book series called Harry Potter. The Marauders drag Lily along as they read it, and soon their future unrolls before their eyes. The cliches were so tempting, guys! I know, I know. The plot is overused. But I couldn't help it... Rated T for slight cursing.
1. Prolouge: Turning Time

**Disclaimer- I do not own anything you recognize. I sadly to don't own a time-turner, so I can't go back in time to steal the idea from JK Rowling. (Not that I would do such a thing…) Ok. Maybe I would. **

**The Marauder Book Club**

**Chapter 1: Turning Time.**

Sirius Black was not an expert on time-turners. In fact, the only thing he knew on the subject was that they- turned. And had something to do with time.

Mr. Black was very much pleased with his powers of inference.

But he did remember Moony saying something about going back in time…

By Merlin's old broken sneakoscope!

This meant- this meant he could go back in time to see the Quidditch World Cup of 1492! He could go to the first Weird Sisters concert. He could go back to when Prongs was a baby and collect all sorts of "Black" mail.

He was also very pleased with his level of dexterity with the English language.

Sneaking around a corner, he clasped the golden necklace in his hands. How exactly did one use a-

He was interrupted by a loud, "Ah-ha!" A redheaded witch had a triumphant look on her face.

"Black! Detention!" It was said with a slight tone of glee. "No roaming the halls after dark." She stood in front of him, (with her comeback all planned, because if there was one thing Lily Evans was, it was organized), hands on her hips, waiting for a cheek reply. None came.

"BLACK!" She yelled, clapping a few times in front of his face. He looked up at her with a horrified expression.

"EVANS!" He shouted back. She raised an eyebrow. As much as she disliked him, usually Sirius Black could come up with better replies than that. He turned back to the floor and began muttering.

"What the hell… so much blackmail…" The eyebrow stayed raised.

"And what exactly is so important to you?"

He looked at her, frowning. "I'm guessing you just had to sneak up on me like that, right? Look- bloody time-turner. Evans, it was going to be the pinnacle of my career. Damn! The blackmail potential." He dropped to the floor. "Need an instruction manual. Erg- no. Maybe a helpful chart or illustration? I don't do books…"

By now Lily was getting frustrated. Couldn't he have just come quietly? And then he goes and blames her for the "time-turner" (as if he could get a real one) mishap.

Cheeks red, she told him, "Black, it is most certainly _not_ my fault. If you hadn't been sneaking around like an idiot than I wouldn't of had the obligation to scare you and inadvertently caused you to drop your precious time…" She trailed off as she looked down at Sirius. He was fading away…

"Black. Drop the time-turner. Now." He looked up, and scoffed.

"What, Evans? It's just broken glass and sand. I'm not going to _eat_ it or anything." He hadn't noticed his fading yet. And he thought he was observant.

"Don't you know anything about- oh god. Black." She looked at him severely. "Listen. Get it through your thick skull. Do not talk to anybody- _don't be seen_!"

He looked at her quizzically, and shrugged. It was then that he noticed his slowly fading body.

"Arghh! What the-" He had no time to finish the sentence before he was gone.

Lily rushed off.

* * *

"Peppermint Toads." The gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office slid aside, and Lily rushed up to the stone spiral staircase. Once it felt a presence, it began to move upward.

She rapped on the door several times- "Come in Ms. Evans."

"Professor- I'm sorry. Black, time-turner, off Godric Gryffindor knows where…" Dumbledore smiled at her, and gestured for her to sit down.

"My dear, although I am in marvelous health for one my age, I have trouble deciphering hastily told stories. The arm-chair over there is quite comfy."

Lily blushed and took a seat. "So. Begin?"

"Well, you see, I was doing rounds, and I found Black. I must have sneaked up on him because he dropped the time-turner- Oh professor! Black's off somewhere! What if he changes something? I tried to tell him to stay hidden, but knowing him and all his thickheaded, pigheadedness, he'll probably make a scene."

Dumbledore looked troubled for a moment, but he composed his features after a second. "Ms. Evans, do you remember what exactly Mr. Black said as he was holding the broken time-turner?" Lily nodded.

"Something about needing a time-turner instructional manual."

"Ms. Evans, I believe we have to notify Mr. Black's friends about this. Would you tell Mr. Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew?" His eyes twinkled as Lily twisted in her chair.

"I'll do it now, Professor."

* * *

Sirius Black shook his head as his surroundings solidified again. They were different. He was surrounded by books! He leaped back, wondering were he was. The Hogwarts Library? Nah, to small.

He got used to the claustrophobic feel of the bookshelves, and began looking at the titles nearest to him.

_Training Flobberworms to Eat Flesh: For Dummies._

_Hairy- with a Heart: The Tale of a Lovesick Werewolf._

_Drosinda Drappet and her Dancing Duvet. _

_The A-Z on Poetry- Making Rhyming Magic._

He was reminded of why he never liked books. He continued skimming until he found- _The Complete Owner's Guide to the Usage of Time-Turners. _Well that's helpful. He plucked it off the shelf gingerly, and tucked it under his arm. He was about to pick up the remains of the time-turner, when a brightly bound set of books caught his eye.

He read the title. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire- Wow.

Ok. Harry Potter? Potter. Maybe he was related to Prongs?

And those titles. The Philosophers Stone was supposed to turn metal to gold and make you immortal. The Chamber of Secrets was like- the equivalent of Slytherin's private tree-house. This Harry Potter got into some crazy stuff.

Might as well take them too. He took out his wand and resized the books, so they all neatly fit into his pocket. Eight books were more that Sirius had ever had at one time. He was very glad that his book allergy wasn't acting up so much.

He had just enough time to pick up the time-turner before he felt himself disappear again.

* * *

He blinked at the room around him- lots of gadgets, paintings, poufy chairs. He knew this room!

"Hello, Mr. Black."

"Hi Professor!" Sirius nervously patted the pocket with the time-turner in it. He had nicked it from Dumbledore.

"I am ecstatic to see you here, whole and well. I understand you had a bit of a jaunt with the time-turner?" Sirius nodded.

"May I see it?" Sirius reached in his pocket and handed it to Dumbledore. "I hope you heeded Ms. Evans's warning?"

"There wasn't anyone there, Sir. I couldn't really make a proper commotion to an empty room. There were only books. Horrible books."

Dumbledore chuckled at his pupil's aversion.

"I hope you didn't take any of these books?"

Sirius hesitated, then nodded yes.

"Sir, I have an allergy to books. It would be a bad choice for my health to take any."

"Well, I believe you have quite the welcome party waiting for you outside. You may leave." Sirius rushed for the door, glad Dumbledore had bought the lie.

"Padfoot!" Several voices chorused. One lone voice said, rather unenthusiastically, "Black."

"Well, Evans. I'm happy to see you too."

"Padfoot! Did you see anyone? From the future? Or the past? Oh I wish we could have gone to the first Weird Sister's concert." James rambled. Sirius shook his head dramatically.

"No- I wished to use the time-turner for such noble causes, but sadly, I was thwarted by a fiery beast-" Lily growled, "and was sent to a bookshop instead." James and Peter gasped, while Remus rolled his eyes.

"Did you talk to anyone, Pads?" He asked, seriously.

"Nah. No one was there. But I found some weird books." Everyone except Peter, (he was looking at Sirius with an expression of awe), raised their eyebrows. Sirius Black touched a book? He wanted to look at a book? Someone mark the date and time.

"Seriously. Siriusly." He chuckled. Ah, puns. "Everyone needs to come to the Room of Requirement with me." He sent a glance at Lily, who was still glaring at him for the beast comment.

"Evans, I suppose you'll have to come too."

**WHOO! First chapter. I know, so many clichés. The time travel, the reading Harry Potter. But I had to do it. The concept is so cool and I love it, plus the reactions to some things are going to be priceless! I hope it was decent. **

**Love you guys! Thank you so much for reading. **


	2. Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived (Part 1)

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything you recognize.**

**Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived (Part 1)**

Lily wondered if she should follow the four boys- reading a book from a time not theirs. That could be disastrous. But the inner prefect and her curiousity banded together to convince her.

_You could keep an eye on them much better this way._

_And that book, Lily. You love books._

_You wouldn't be able to bear it if Potter found out about the future and you were left in the dark…_

"Okay, for Merlin's sake! I'll go." She ran to catch up with the Marauders. James shot a grin at her as she caught up with them.

"So Evans- couldn't resist a chance to hang with me?"

Lily growled. She hated his cheesy, horrid, disgusting pick-up lines. The dolt would not understand that Lily Evans had hated James Potter from the moment he first said, "Snivellus."

James took this as his cue to shut up, and most of the walk to the seventh floor was in silence. Sirius stopped in front of a wall, and paced back and forth a few times. To Lily's amazement, the wall seemed to disappear, and was replaced with a wooden door. Remus stepped forward and opened it. He beckoned everyone inside.

Lily was expecting to find an abandoned classroom. Instead, the doorway opened up into a large room with towering ceilings, and several large windows that showed scenes from all over the world. There were chairs scattered here and there, and a large shelf on one end. It held what looked like pranking supplies, along with several trunks of who-knows-what.

The boys plopped down on a circle of seats close to a fireplace. Lily looked around uncertainly. She decided to sit near Remus. With her head bowed, she failed to notice the small flit of jealousy that crossed James's face.

"So, Padfoot. Where are these books?" Peter asked. Sirius rummaged in his pockets, (Which were quite full, apparently), and pulled out a few small colored rectangles.

"I hope those are just re-sized?" Remus chuckled. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"No, Moony. The books are so small there is only half a word on each page."

"So, Black, what exactly was so compelling that you actually touched the book?" Lily asked, seriously doubting that these were actual works of literature.

"The title. Look," He resized the books and picked up the first one, "_Harry Potter_."

"I didn't know I had a cousin named Harry!" James exclaimed.

"It might a coincidence, Prongs. Potter isn't that rare a name." Remus said. Lily chuckled, and all the boys looked at her.

"Prongs? Are you some sort of toasting fork?" She giggled.

"Uh… well… they're nicknames." James stumbled over his words, wondering how to phrase it. He could just go tell her that they were Animagi, could he?

Lily raised an eyebrow, but let it go. She wouldn't be concerned with Potter's secrets.

"Can we start the book?" Peter asked.

"No. No we can't Wormtail." Sirius said. Peter looked crestfallen, until Sirius slapped his back and grinned.

"Lighten up. Yes, let's do it!" He poised his hand to open the book, but couldn't seem to bring himself to do it. He tossed the book to Remus.

"Moony- you do it." Lily and Remus rolled their eyes, and Remus opened the book.

"**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.**

**Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived.**

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive-"**

"What kind of a name is 'Dursley'" Sirius wondered, sitting up from his slouch.

Lily looked positively stricken. "Oh god. It's just a coincidence. Yes…"

"What, Evans?"

"Nothing. Nothing…"

Remus continued.

"-**were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."**

"Why would anyone be proud of that? Normal's boring." James said. "I'd much rather be strange."

"**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense."**

Lily scoffed. "As if, Tuney." She muttered under her breath. "I remember the letter to Dumbledore."

"**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors."**

Peter giggled. "They sound really well matched."

"Pettigrew, you have no idea." Lily told him.

Remus looked at Lily, concerned. From what he knew, Lily had a sister that matched this description very well. He looked at James, then at Lily, and could see why she was upset. He would talk to her later.

"**The Dursleys had a small boy called Dudley-"**

"What kind of name is Dudley?" Sirius asked, incredulous.

"A crap one." James replied.

Peter burst out laughing at that statement, and it was quite a while before they calmed him down.

"**- and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it."**

"Ooh- got some skeletons in the closet, eh?" James said. Lily shook her head.

"No. A very live, redheaded non-skeleton."

"What?" Everyone except for Lily and Remus looked confused.

"**They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that."**

"NO!" Lily had been listening with evident horror.

A flash of red and Lily had disappeared in a corner.

"What was that?" Sirius asked. Remus gestured for them to wait. He stood up and approached Lily.

"Lily-"

She turned her face towards him.

"Remus. That's my sister. My sister! And Potter is my husband!" She cried out in a strangled voice.

"Remus. I can't love him. I can't. I can't." She pulled at her hair. "And the future is telling me yes, that's how it's supposed to go. No! It can't. I won't, Remus. But I can't change the future. What if something horrible happens? I feel as if my life is being lived for me." She sighed. "And we have a son. A son, Remus. I know he's my child, I can't help but judge him by his father's actions. What if I can't love him… because he's Potter's son too?"

Remus held her hand, and after a bit, he replied. "Lily. I know you have your perceptions about James. But I think that you can overlook them here. I know, it's probably really hard to hear about what is supposed to happen. But just listen. Your maternal instincts will kick in."

Lily swallowed several times, and thought about it. He was James Potter- but she had a son! A real, living, part of her. She smiled at that thought.

They returned to the circle of chairs, and Lily ignored the looks from the other Marauders.

"Go on, would you, Remus?" Her voice was still shaky.

"Sure.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts,** **there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country."**

"Hmmm… and the plot thickens…" Sirius said, straightening his face from its perpetual smirk and attempting to sound like an educated member of society.

James and Peter sniggered. "Black, seriousness really doesn't suit you."

"Evans, everything suits me."

"Is that what your mother told you?" The other boys froze. Sirius's mother was a sore subject. His mother hated him.

Sirius didn't reply, and Remus decided to go on.

"**Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work-" **

"The most boring tie? Really?" James shook his head disapprovingly.

"**-and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair."**

"I knew that kid was going to be a brat." Peter spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Oh, Peter! You're still here?" James asked. Lily frowned. She hated that tone, that way of speaking.

Peter blushed. "You guys were all talking- and the story was interesting."

"**None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window."**

"Really? Those things are huge- I remember I got this letter because I had done magic or whatever-I thought it was a bloody hippogriff. They feed them well, they do." Sirius said.

"**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing cereal at the walls."**

"Definitely a brat." James remarked.

"Hey- all toddlers do that. It's a stage." Lily snapped. _What the- I defended Petunia's kid? _She thought. Instincts of an aunt?

"Hey, hey, Evans. Just a joke."

"Whatever, Potter."

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.****For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen -then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.**

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light."**

"Rubbish! And he knows it!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Muggles are really determined to ignore us, Pads." Remus told his friend.

"**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - No, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs."**

"It's probably and Animagus- no cats, even in the wizarding world do that." Lily said.

The Marauders looked at one another.

"MINNIE!" Sirius and James shouted.

Lily looked at them quizzically. "Who is 'Minnie'?"

"McGonagall."

"Ah."

Peter frowned. "I don't think it's Professor McGonagall. Why would she be at that Muggle's house?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Petey. What other animagus cat do you know?"

"I'm sure there are other people who are cats. When they're transformed."

"You'll see."

"**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove towards town, he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day."**

"He works at a drill company?" Lily asked. "Wow, Tuney, you sure got yourself a man."

"You know Mrs. Dursley?" James asked.

Lily grimaced. He would find out anyway.

"She's my sister." Looks of shock, glee, and confusion crossed Sirius, James, and Peter's faces.

"What? That means-"

"-Lily's my wife!"

"I'm confused."

"Wormy, you are always confused."

"Lily's my wife! Lily's my wife! We get married- Whoo-hoo!" James looked ecstatic. "Hey, Evans- how does Lily Potter sound?"

Lily snarled at him. "Potter. Just because the dumb book says we get married does not mean that I am swayed in my opinion of you. I have despised you since the first time you opened that loathsome mouth. "

James drew back, hurt. She had rejected him, yes, thousands of times. But this really did sound as if she honest-to-god hated him. Before, that had been dislike, annoyance. He pulled his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

"If that's how you feel, Evans."

Remus thought it might be a good idea to continue with the story, as Lily was shooting daggers at James and James was almost crying and Sirius and Peter were caught between it all.

"**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the get-ups you saw on young people!"**

"Cloaks aren't strange! What is it with this guy and abnormal stuff?" Sirius grumbled.

"**He supposed this was some stupid new fashion."**

"You dress like a color-blind fool during Mardi-Gras, Dursley." Lily snapped at the book.

"Lily, calm down. It's a book." Remus said. Lily blushed.

"He's a git, that's all."

"**He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald green cloak! The nerve of him!"**

"Just- be quiet, Dursley." James was liking this man less and less every sentence. "Why is he 'enraged' by that guy? It's just a piece of clothing."

"**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something ... yes, that would be it."**

"Just because they're dressing strange doesn't mean they're homeless, Dursley." Sirius said. There was a definite air of dislike for Vernon Dursley. It was the one thing the four teenagers all had in common.

**The traffic moved on, and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning.**

**He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though the people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead."**

"Really? This is absurd. He still hasn't noticed the owls?"

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled a five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunch-time, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the baker's opposite."**

"That shows just how much he's a jerk. He enjoys yelling at people." Lily said.

"You enjoy yelling at people, Evans." Sirius replied. Lily snorted.

"I like yelling at you, because you deserve it."

Peter made an "ooooooh" sound. "Padfoot- she buuurrned you…"

"Quiet wormtail."

"**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag,-" **

"From the description of him, doughnuts probably aren't going to help his wonderful physique." Sirius said.

"-**that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

'**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-'**

'**- yes, their son, Harry-' "**

"I was wondering when they were going to mention him- it is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Peter said.

"Evans, why did you name our son Harry?" James asked.

"Harry is a perfectly fine name, Potter. I probably saved him from your horrible idea."

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold."**

"Urgh… never. My son would never have been allowed to be called that." Lily said. James looked at her. She was calling him her son? Maybe she sort of accepted that they got married.

"**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that..."**

James saw red at that. She might hate him, but he certainly didn't hate her. No, no. He might have even loved Lily Evans. So he was going to defend her.

"Dursley, shut your mug! Lily is the prettiest, smartest woman I have ever met! Lily's the unfortunate one- to have you as a brother in law."

"Calm down, Prongs. It's a book." Remus said, repeating what he told Lily earlier.

Lily Evans was shocked. She had just heard James Potter give her a compliment that wasn't a pick-up line. It had seemed genuine. He had defended her to Dursley.

But he was Potter! It was probably some tactic to try to fool her.

"**-but all the same, those people in cloaks...**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon, and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

'**Sorry,' he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell."**

"I'm surprised he had the manners to even say that." Sirius said.

"**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice****that made passers-by stare: 'Don't be sorry my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like your self should be celebrating this happy, happy day!' "**

"WHAT? You-Know-Poo was killed? By god-" Sirius started dancing a bit around the room. Peter giggled and joined in.

"Sing it, Petey! Moldy-Voldy is gone! Or is going to be." After a few minutes of dancing, they sat back down.

"Continue, Moony."

"**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was."**

"If there was ever a muggle, Dursley is it." Lily said, remembering the last time she had met her sister's boyfriend.

"**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination."**

"Gosh- what does he do for fun?" Peter asked.

"He memorizes drill catalogues." Lily replied.

"Really?" Sirius asked.

"Yup."

"**As he pulled into the driveway at number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes."**

"Minnie!" Sirius and James shouted. "It is her."

Peter looked crestfallen. "I thought maybe I'd be right that time."

"Maybe next time, Wormtail."

Peter sighed.

"**Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr. Dursley wondered?"**

"Most definitely not, Dursley."

"**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learnt a new word (Shan't)."**

"Evans, can I ask you something?" James asked, tentatively.

"Sure, Potter." She replied.

"Why did your sister turn out so different? I mean, she's a muggle and she's so boring and nosy-"

Lily was flattered for a moment. "I'm not sure. I'm not sure."

"And why does she hate you?"

"Jealousy."

"That's understandable."

Lily gaped for a moment.

"**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living-room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

'**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern.' The news reader allowed himself a grin. 'Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?'**

'**Well, Ted,' said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain that I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!"**

"People really are acting careless aren't they?" Said Peter, frowning. "They shouldn't be doing that."

"I reckon it's because of You-Know-Poo being gone, Wormtail." Sirius replied. "I'd go crazy. I'm going to go crazy. Moony, remind me to go crazy when Moldy Voldy dies."

"Will do, Pads."

"**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...Mrs. Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. 'Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?' "**

"Well of course not, as she's too much of a muggle to care about her own sister." James said, in an angry tone.

"Potter, I appreciate the flattery, but you don't need to defend me to a book. Please stop."

"Lily, your sister is acting like this to you. I'm not letting her off the hook, regardless of if I know her or not. You're my future wife, I'm going to defend you."

"**As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

'**No," she said sharply. 'Why?'**

'**Funny stuff on the news,' Mr. Dursley mumbled. 'Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today...'**

'**So?' snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

'**Well, I just thought... maybe ... it was something to do with ... you know ... her lot.' "**

"My lot?" Lily asked, incredulously.

"Why are we spending so much damn time on the Dursleys? They're horrible! We've only heard a mention of Evans and Prongs, and someone only mentioned Harry. He's the title character for god-sake!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Pads, I'm sure there's a reason for that." Remus told him. "Let's see if it gets explained.

"**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name 'Potter'.**

**He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, 'Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now wouldn't he?'**

'**I suppose so,' said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

'**What's his name again? Howard isn't it?'**

'**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me.' "**

"What? You were loved to make lists of kids names, and Harry always was at the top, Petunia." Lily said, furiously. Her sister was being a complete- she was being a really terrible person.

" '**Oh, yes,' said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. 'Yes, I quite agree.'**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it was waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things?"**

"No, because you don't posses imagination," Sirius said. "You said it yourself, Dursley."

"**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did ... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind ... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on. He yawned and turned over. It couldn't affect them ...**

**How very wrong he was."**

"This sounds ominous." Lily said, nervously. "Something must happen to me and Potter if it affects Petunia and Vernon." James gulped. People did die in the war- no. He couldn't think like that. Maybe he and Lily paid the Dursleys a visit or something.

"That must be why Minnie is there- she's waiting for Prongs and Evans or something." Sirius said.

"**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed in the next street, nor when the two owls swooped overhead.**

**In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all."**

"That patience. I admire that Minnie." Sirius remarked.

"**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.**

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had been seen in Privet Drive. He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt."**

"Dumbledore! Why is he here?" Peter asked.

"Must be meeting McGonagall- waiting for Evans and Prongs."

"We don't know that. It might be for some other reason." Remus pointed out. James turned slightly paler.

"Moony, let's hope it's not for other reasons." Lily picked up on the meaning. She hoped for her son's sake that it wasn't true.

"**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore."**

"I was right!" Peter yelled gleefully. "Yes!"

"Beginner's luck." James quipped. "Don't get cocky."

"Potter, lay off him."

"Lily- just teasing. Calm down."

Lily noticed he had stopped calling her "Evans."

"**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, 'I should have known.' "**

"So they weren't meeting." Sirius said.

"Guess not."

"I wonder what he's looking for?" Lily asked.

"Probably some crazy candy. He's always got some new thing. I mean, the password on the gargoyle outside his office is, 'cockroach clusters', and that's not craziest one." James said.

"Yeah. One time he offered me a blood pop. Eurgh. I think it was a joke, though." Sirius chuckled.

"Maybe he's secretly a vampire?" Peter said.

"That's ridiculous, Wormy."

"You think everything I say is ridiculous."

"No- I think _most_ of what you say is ridiculous."

"**He had found what he was looking for in his inside pocket.**

**It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop."**

"That's interesting- I've never heard of any magical item that does that." Lily said, curious. "I hope that gets explained later."

Sirius grinned. "Prongs- think of how awesome it would be to have one of those. Pop! And the whole room goes dark." James grinned back,

"The pranks that could be achieved…"

"**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even the beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.**

**He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

'**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.' "**

"Yay! Now we know for sure its Minnie." Sirius exclaimed. "I hope she gives him some smart come-back for that."

"**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

'**How did you know it was me?' she asked."**

"Come on, Minnie! You can do better than that? What about all the quips in class?"

**" 'My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly.' **

'**You'd be stiff too if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day,' said Professor McGonagall.**

'**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here.'**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

'**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating all right,' she said impatiently. 'You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles noticed something's going on. It was on their news.' "**

"That's the one thing they noticed." Peter sniggered.

"**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. 'I heard it. Flocks of owls ... shooting stars ... Well, they're not completely stupid.' "**

"The Dursleys are." Sirius and James said at the same time.

"Jinx!"

" '**They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense.' "**

"Oh- he's in Hufflepuff. Nice, if not a little strange." Lily said.

" '**You can't blame them,' said Dumbledore gently. 'We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.' "**

"Darn right! I'm going to personally buy all of the Three Broomstick's butterbeer and firewhisky, and loot Honeydukes the day Voldy dies." Sirius declared.

"Just don't get arrested." Remus told him.

"Please do." Lily muttered under her breath.

**" 'I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. 'But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes swapping rumours.' "**

"C'mon, Minnie, don't be a spoil sport." James complained.

"Gossip- tell me more." Sirius leaned in closer to the book.

Remus swatted him away.

"Stop giving me that creepy look and I'll continue, Padfoot."

"If you insist."

"**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on: " 'A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?'**

'**It certainly seems so,' said Dumbledore. 'We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?' "**

"Ah-ha! An there's the obscure candy." James shouted.

"Potter! You're going to disturb the entire school!"

"This is the Room of Requirement. It's sound-proof."

"What in the name of Merlin's polka-dotted pin-cushion is the Room of Requirement?"

"Later, Lily."

**" 'A what?'**

'**A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of.'**

'**No, thank you,' said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemons.**

'**As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -'**

'**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like your self can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort.' "**

Lily and Peter flinched.

"Thank you Dumbledore! Finally, someone who uses Moldy's actual name instead of the whole 'You-know-who' business…" James ranted.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was un-sticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice.**

'**It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.' **

'**I know you haven't,' said Professor McGonagall, sounding half-exasperated, half-admiring. 'But you're different. Everyone knows you're the one You-Know - oh, all right, Voldemort was frightened of.' "**

"Whoo! Good job Minnie. Too bad I don't have anymore "Moldy Voldy" pins." Sirius clapped, and gestured for everyone else to join in. "C'mon, give Minnie a hand."

'**You flatter me,' said Dumbledore calmly. 'Voldemort had powers I will never have.'**

'**Only because you're too - well - noble to use them.'**

'**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.' "**

Everyone, including Lily, burst out laughing.

"**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, 'The owls are nothing to the rumours that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?' "**

The room went quiet. This is what they wanted to know. This is what they needed to know. How had the greatest dark wizard of all time been silenced?

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.**

**It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

'**What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead.****' "**

Remus choked as he read the last words. Sirius and Peter looked shocked, and Lily let out a small sob.

"No, she can't die! Why did I let Lily die? Why did she die?" James seemed to be demanding an answer from himself.

Lily was hugging herself, wondering how, why. Did her son survive? What happened to Harry?

Sirius, and Remus looked at their best friend. He couldn't be murdered. He shouldn't be. He was so alive.

Peter was scared. Scared. His friends died. What if he died too? Would he find out?

Remus began to read again, but was stopped by Lily.

"Remus, I'm sorry. I can't continue with this. How do I get out?" James stood up and showed her the way. He exited himself, and after a while, his friends left the room as well.

The book was still splayed on the ground where it had been dropped when the last sentence was read.

**The first chapter is going to be in two parts- I'm going to try to update every few days. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Love you guys.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Boy Who Lived (Part 2)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize.**

**Chapter 2: The Boy Who Lived Part 2.**

It was a week from that first day that the Marauders entered the Room of Requirement to find Lily sitting on a chair near the fireplace, examining a few things from their Prank Wall.

"Evans?" Sirius asked, uncertainly.

"Yes, of course it's me, Black. What other redheaded female do you know who has access to this room?" She snapped.

"Uh…"

"Exactly. Anyways, I've decided we should continue with the books."

The Marauders looked at her. "Really, Lily? You think that's a good idea?" Remus asked. He knew how she had reacted the first time they read the book.

She shrugged. "Probably not. Messing with time and all that jazz."

James and Sirius grinned at that. "Ah, I always knew Lilykins was a troublemaker deep down inside." Lily snorted.

"This is far from sneaking into the Slytherin commonroom and dying everyone's hair red and gold."

Peter looked mortified. "How did you know about that?" He whispered.

"I have eyes everywhere, Petey."

He shivered and looked around. Sirius punched him in the arm. "Wormtail. She's making a joke."

"Well, I wouldn't put it past Lily- she's too clever." James looked at her suspiciously. Lily gave him a sweet smile. His cheeks were tinted pink. Lily was enjoying this power over him.

Remus still looked concerned. "Lily, can I talk to you?"

"Sure!" He brought her over to a corner. "Are you going to be okay? James and you having a son had a big impact on you. And the fact that you die was traumatizing."

Lily smiled. "Remus, I may not want to marry Potter- I despise that idea, but remember what you said about maternal instincts? I want to learn about my son. He may never get to know me."

Remus understood, and they returned to the circle.

"Well, let's get started. Who's gonna read?" Sirius asked. "Not me." He reminded everyone.

Lily volunteered. They all sat down like before, and Lily plucked the book of the shelf. She flipped through the pages and searched for the page they stopped on.

She took a deep breath. "Everyone ready?"

"Yes!"

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James ... I can't believe it ... I didn't want to believe it ... Oh, Albus ..."**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know ... I know ..." he said heavily.**

"Aw, Minnie cares." Sirius said, grinning.

"Of course she does, we're her best students." James told him.

"McGonagall plays favorites?" Lily said doubtfully.

"Of course! She likes you too, don't worry, Lily." James replied.

"And how would you know?"

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

"No!" James and Lily cried. "He better not touch my son!" James's cheeks turned pink again, from anger and embarrassment.

Lily shook her head as if to clear her mind, and continued to read.

**"But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."**

"How did my son defeat the most powerful dark wizard in history?" James asked, incredulously.

Lily frowned. "He does have both of us as his parents, Potter. Not to be cocky, or stroke your ego, but we do have some considerable talents."

Remus chuckled. "I agree, but I think there must be something else to it."

Peter was listening intently, completely absorbed in the story.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done ... all the people he's killed ... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding ...of all the things to stop him ... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."

"They can't just leave it like that!" Peter yelled. "I was on the edge of my seat."

Everyone looked at him. He shrank.

"Sorry…"

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took out a watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"Hagrid! I hope he's well." Lily said, pausing.

"Probably. No one could harm him- he's half giant!" Sirius said, knowingly.

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

Remus looked at Lily. She had told him about Petunia, and their rocky relationship. Lily looked upset.

"If I find out that Tuney does anything except care for my son- if she mistreats him…" She growled. "Vernon the Vile better not do anything either."

"What's the matter, Lily?"

"My sister. Petunia. She hates me." She sobbed a that last part. "But you already know that." James cautiously towards her.

"Please tell me. I only know that it's jealousy. Why?"

She looked at him, surprised.

"I won't bother you with it."

"Tell me."

"No."

"You've told Moony."

"He's different."

"So I'm not good enough?" James looked furious. "I won't make fun of you, Lily." He adopted a gentler tone. "Please believe me."

She shook her head, and continued the book. James drew back.

"If Evans won't tell me, I'll have to draw my own conclusions about her sister." Lily flinched at James's use of her last name, but berated herself. Didn't she use his? Didn't she hate when he acted like they were friends?

**You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't."**

"**I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

Lily laughed drily. "Dudders seems to be a lovely child."

"We already figured that out, Evans." Sirius said. He saw the tension and didn't like it one bit.

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend – **

"Ha! My son is going to be a legend!" James was overcome with pride. "Famous!" He smiled.

"You want your child to be famous?" Remus asked.

"Of course!"

**I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

Lily agreed. "I'm all in favor of that. He is not going to turn out like Potter."

Peter and Remus stifled laughs.

"It's true, Prongs." Peter told him. James glared and Peter bowed his head.

"Leave him alone, Potter. Someone needs to tell you." Lily snapped.

Peter looked at her gratefully.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here Dumbledore?"**

**She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"Hagrid's awesome!" Five voices argued.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Awesome! I want a bike like that." Sirius said, enviously.

"Tell that to mum, she'll probably get you one." James told him. Sirius's face brightened.

"Will do."

**If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"That's Hagrid!" Sirius, James, and Peter cried.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it me."**

Sirius pumped his fist in the air. "Guess your mum did get me one, then."

"Why on Earth do you want a motorbike?" Lily shook her head.

Sirius looked incredulous. "It's like a broomstick but way more bad-ass."

"Hey! My Nimbus 100 is fantastic and totally bad-ass. It out bad-asses your motorbike." James protested.

"Sure it is." Sirius told him, in the manner of one reassuring a small child.

James scowled.

"**I've got him, sir."**

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol."**

"The bastard destroyed the house as well?" James said, furiously.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar for ever."**

Lily snarled. "Voldemort better be scared. He touched my baby." Peter flinched when she said, 'Voldemort.'

Remus touched his shoulder. "It's okay, Wormtail. It's just a name."

"It's _his_ name! It's not right. It shouldn't be said."

James and Sirius shook their head at him. "Wormtail, he's just a man."

"He's evil! He's not the same." The poor boy looked terrified.

Lily hushed them, and continued the book.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

"Off his rocker." The Marauders said, fondly.

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid.**

"Aw… I should visit him more often." Lily looked guilty. "He cares."

"You can come down with us, if you'd like." Remus offered. Lily smiled at him.

"Sure." James bowed his head so they wouldn't see his face turn red.

**He bent his great shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.**

"That must have been enjoyable." Sirius said.

"It's the thought that counts, Padfoot." Remus told him.

"Not if you get a scrape on your face from the actions spurred by the thought."

**Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall. "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

Lily looked sad. Very sad. It wasn't easy to realize you might never get the chance to raise your own child.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out…**

"At least they care, Lily. Someone cares." Remus told her.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

Sirius was frowning. "Why can't I take Harry? If I'm alive, why isn't he with me? Or with Moony? Moony would be a better parent."

Remus chuckled bitterly. "Can't, Pads. Werewolves aren't allowed to adopt children."

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.**

**He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley **

"That brat!" James said**.**

**...he couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

"That's quite a title." Peter remarked.

Lily agreed. She looked thoroughly worn-out.

"Well, I think we should take this one chapter at a time." Remus proposed.

Sirius and Peter agreed. "We should meet whenever we can. It'll be too hard to finish the books if we don't do it as much as possible." Sirius said. "These things are long!"

"I agree with Black." Lily said.

James smiled a bit as a thought crossed his mind. "I guess we're a sort of book club, now."

Lily nodded. "I guess we are."

**SO! The first chapter has been read. I'm sorry about the delay- I had a musical to perform in, a dance recital, an exam, and my dog had to go to the ER. Hectic! But I'll try to update more frequently. I hope this was a satisfying sequel to the last chapter! **

**Love you all, and thank you so much for reading this.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Vanishing Glass

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything- well maybe I own that tree over there. But nothing in this story. (Nothing you recognize.)**

**Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass**

Gossip ran wild in the halls of Hogwarts the week after Lily and the Marauders had begun reading the books. Well, it was wilder.

Gossip was a common part of everyday life at Hogwarts, but sometimes it got a little crazy. All because Sandra told Nick that Jenny had told her what Anna had said, and Anna had gotten it from Mark who was told by Ashley who had been filled in by Terri who had been given the 4-1-1 from Tom who had overheard Mary telling Emily that Lily had been hanging out with the Marauders.

To a stranger, this would seem ridiculous. Why should the whole school care if some girl was hanging out with some guys. That is what teenagers do. But to a Hogwarts student- one who had probably witnessed far to many of Lily Evan's and James Potter's fights- one who had probably watched Sirius put something in Lily's cauldron but hadn't said anything because, hey, either they were thinking, _"OMG! Sirius is sooooo cute… those eyes… that hair…"_ or _"Oooh… don't want to mess with the Marauders. I'm already low on the social ladder, don't want to slip down further…"_

One who had probably winced several times before as they heard a shrill shriek- "POTTER!" or "BLACK!". To a Hogwarts student, this was the story of the century.

Whispers became the steady background music to life at Hogwarts, especially if the Marauders or Lily were around.

"_I heard that Evans was dating James…"_

"_No! I'll get that prude…"_

"_Lucky Potter…"_

"_I heard she paid him money…"_

"_Becky, don't be silly. He probably paid her…"_

James's fan club held 10 meetings that week. Most of them were filled with hysterical girls jotting down notes on how to kill Lily Evans and dispose of her body.

So by now, you must be wondering if James and Lily are actually dating.

They were not.

So most of this week was hilarious, horrible, heartbreaking or horrendous, depending on whom you asked.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were practically laugh tracks the entire week, giggling at James and Lily.

James was horrified and nervous. He really, really, really wanted the rumors to be true, be able to say, "I'm dating Lily Evans." But he wasn't. She still hated him. He cringed. She probably hated him more with all these rumors flying around. She probably thought he started them.

Most of the female population was heartbroken. Was their Jamesie really taken? By _Evans? _But they got over it eventually when they realized that they still had Sirius.

Lily Evans thought the whole ordeal was horrendous. People looked and pointed in the hallways, whispered behind their hands when she walked by, and she hated it. How Potter could stand this she didn't know. She scoffed when she heard the rumor about her and him. As if. Then she though of how they were going to get married in the future… he had been acting a lot differently- some might say for the better- since Black brought back those books. She shook her head and reminded herself it was the books that started these rumors. She and the Marauders had been "hanging out" more often. They were reading about the future and gaining knowledge that could help in the war, for Wizard God's sake! Then she thought of the other knowledge they had been gaining. About her and James…

She guessed she had to call him James now. They were going to be spending an awful lot more time together. She thought of how she could improve the lives of everyone she knew, and she decided that she would just have to wear earplugs to block the whispers.

Lily was the last one to arrive at the next meeting.

"Evans!" Sirius yelled.

"Yes, Black?"

"You're late!"

"Yes…"

"Rule 73 of the Marauder Book- erg, hate that word- Club Code says that any member who is late shall have to sit out that meeting!" Lily shot him a glare.

"You try sitting me out, Black. I'm not going to pay for your hospital bill."

Remus intervened. "Okay, okay. Lily, sorry, he just made that up. Please sit down?" Lily glared at Sirius again.

"Can we start, please?" She asked, sitting down next to Remus. James sighed.

"Sure. We would have been able to already if Evans wasn't late…"

"BLACK!"

James cleared his throat. "Hey, guys. Can we start?"

"Fine." Lily and Sirius pouted. James sighed again. He picked up the book and began to read.

**Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass**

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. **

"Why is spicing things up so hard for these people? Have they seriously never changed their houses at all?" Sirius said.

"The Dursleys don't really like change." Lily told him.

"Well that's really boring."

"Yup."

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets- **

Everyone snorted. "I'm guessing that's Dudley?" Remus asked.

Lily nodded. "I think he probably got Vernon's side of the family genes."

"He's really fat." Peter sniggered.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived-**

James stopped. "Yes! Maybe Moony or Padfoot came to get him!"

Remus sighed sadly. "I told you James. I can't take custody of Harry."

"Oh, Moony, I'm sorry, I totally forgot." He apologized.

Remus smiled slightly. "It's fine. Let's continue."

**in the house, too.**

Everybody groaned.

"Still with the Dursleys."

**Yet, Harry Potter stilled lived there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

"Well, that's a lovely awakening." Lily growled. She had hoped that Petunia would at least try to care for her son with a little bit of respect.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"**Up!" she screeched. **

"Oh god! They should take her voice and make an alarm clock with it!" Sirius said.

"Actually, Sirius that might not be a bad idea…" Remus thought. Sirius smiled and closed his eyes. A pen and paper dropped from nowhere. Sirius scribbled down his idea.

"Alarm clock… need voice… kidnap Dursley…" Lily intervened at this time.

"Black! If you think I'm going to let you kidnap my sister just because you want to try to make a stupid alarm clock, then you are utterly mental!" She said, snatching the paper from him. Peter was watching the argument with interest and fear.

"Hey, Lily, calm down." James and Remus said at the same time. Lily stopped. Was James actually being mature? He'd been calm all meeting. Lily narrowed her eyes. She still didn't quite trust him yet. James noticed it too, and for the third time that evening, sighed.

**Harry heard her walking back toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been dreaming. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"You have, little prongslet! C'mon, remember Hagrid, remember Hagrid…" Sirius willed.

"He's not going to be able to do that." Lily said, flatly.

"Don't be a party pooper." Sirius whined.

"Black, kids don't start making permanent memories until they are three, at least." Lily told him.

"Well, Lily, wizards are slightly different. We can remember older snippets if we really try hard enough." Remus said.

Pete laughed. "Yeah. I remember this one time when I was a baby-" James cut him off.

"Sorry Wormy, but we've got to continue with the story about Harry…" He looked at his non-existent watch. "Time's a-tickin'"

Lily frowned. And there was the old Potter.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"Just let the poor boy wake up on his own, Petunia. What could be so damn important?" Lily snapped. All the marauders looked at her. Had they just heard Lily Evans curse?

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Harry groaned.**

"Isn't child labor illegal?" Sirius and James asked.

"I don't think cooking counts, all though I wish it did." Lily said. When she got home for summer break…

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"**Nothing, nothing..."**

**Dudley's birthday – how could he have forgotten. Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under is bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

At this point, if someone where walking by, they may have though a small explosion had taken place. But the Room of Requirement was soundproof, so the small girl outside was spared.

"A CUPBOARD? MY SON IS SLEEPING IN A CUPBOARD?" James roared.

"PETUNIA ROSE EVANS! WHEN I GET BACK HOME!" Lily shouted. "MY SON DOES NOT SLEEP IN A BLOODY CUPBOARD!"

Sirius was positively red. "EVANS, DO I HAVE YOUR PERMISSION TO KIDNAP BOTH OF THEM FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF TORTURE?"

Lily nodded yes, out of breath from her rant about all the things she would do to Petunia when she got home. "My pleasure, Black. Let me get to them first, though."

Remus was also angry, but chose not to join the shouting. He spoke to himself angrily.

Peter was unsure what to do.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

"So he's a spoiled brat, not just a brat." Sirius snarled.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise – unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"Ha. At least he's got some Marauder genes in him." James said, proudly. Lily shook her head.

"I was right about the fatness!" Peter exclaimed.

"Sorry, Wormy. That was painfully obvious, and therefore does not count."

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"That spoiled little git-" James and Sirius began.

"Hey. At least it says that Harry usually could avoid Dudley." Lily said.

"That doesn't stop the fact that he's using Harry as a punching bag." Remus said.

Lily nodded. "I just can't believe Petunia would treat her own nephew like this." She said.

"Lily, we can stop this, remember? It'll be okay. Harry will live with us." James comforted, but drew back when he noticed her flinch.

"Don't call me Lily." James sighed.

"I'll continue then, Evans."

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller skinner then he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger then he was.**

"She can't even buy him proper clothing?" James exclaimed. "Her husband has that big-shot muggle job."

**Harry had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. **

"I hope he got the Potter hair!" Sirius said. "Oh, and good thing he got your eyes, Evans."

Lily raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, we probably wouldn't be able to tell Prongs and Prongslet apart."

"Prongslet?" Remus and Peter snorted. Sirius smiled proudly.

"One of my more brilliant strokes of genius."

"That isn't saying much…" Lily grumbled.

James sighed sadly. " You mean, you won't be able to tell us apart. Me and Evans are dead."

"Evans and I." Lily whispered. Sirius growled.

"What the hell is your problem, Evans?"

"What exactly are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"Are you serious?"

"Last time I checked, you were."

"Oh my god! Lily Evans made a joke. Maybe the stick up your rear isn't as far in as we thought."

"You thought? Oh, so now Sirius Black is capable of thought."

"Yes! The thought that you are being a complete bitch."

"So I'm not going to be completely genial with the most arrogant, pig-headed gits in the entire school."

"You seem to like Moony an awful lot." James grumbled. Lily rounded on him.

"Yes! Maybe I enjoy the company of someone who isn't going to hit on me 24/7 or ask me out constantly or hex people for no good reason!"

"I stopped doing that."

"Can you stop being a toe-rag?"

"Can you cut him some slack, Evans?" Sirius intervened.

"Why should I?"

"Padfoot, it's okay." James said in a hollow voice. "I have been a toe-rag. Sorry, Evans." Both Sirius and Lily were shocked into silence.

"I'm going to continue. Is that okay?" Everyone nodded.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tap because of all times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

"Has your eyesight, Prongs!" Peter said, grinning. Everybody looked at him. The tension was so heavy you could cut it with a 'sectumsempra!' curse. Jokes did not fit the tone.

"Sorry!" He squeaked, blushing.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lighting. **

"Voldemort." Lily said.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

"**In the car crash when your parents had died," she had said. ****"****And don't ask questions."**

"CAR CRASH?" Sirius shouted. "Car crash? Wizards don't die in car crashes."

Lily growled. First the neglect, cruelty, now the lies?

**Don't ask questions – that was the first rule a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"What a nice uncle." Sirius said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"He's a right pillock." Lily snapped, to nobody in particular.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted at Harry need a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way – all over the place.**

"Potter hair." Sirius and Remus nodded.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much nick, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel – Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

This lightened the mood. Everyone laughed at Harry's comment on Dudley.

"Spitting image of his father." Lily said, sniggering. "I call him Vernon the Walrus."

"I thought it was Vernon the Vile?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. I have several nicknames."

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this one from mommy and daddy." **

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

"Brat." Peter remarked.

"My son doesn't get proper clothing- but my nephew gets thirty-seven birthday presents and feels this is misfortune enough to throw a tantrum?" Lily said, furiously.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two new presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that alright?"**

"That's no way to raise a child. He's spoiled rotten!" Lily frowned.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. **

"Well, all that TLC hasn't done much for his intellect." Remus remarked.

**Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty... thirty..."**

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh," Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

"**Little tyke want's his money worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"Spoiled brat." That seemed to be the universal name for Dudley Dursley now.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR.**

"Why in the name of Merlin's old, stale pumpernickel bread does that boy need so many presents?" Lily shook her head, in disapproval.

"BRAT!" All the Marauders replied.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him."**

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. **

"Wait. Surname Figg?" Remus asked. James nodded. "I think I might know her."

"Is she a witch?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not sure." Remus replied, tilting his head in thought.

**Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Cat ladies…" Sirius said, chuckling.

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. **

"Now, that is not fair. Harry shouldn't be blamed for everything that goes wrong in your life!" James said, interrupting himself.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursley often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there – or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"Petunia Rose Dursley!" Lily was seeing red. "My son is an intelligent human being. And your blood!" Remus put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. She looked around at the rest of the Marauders and muttered an apology.

James shook his head. "It's okay Evans, I'm furious too."

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend, Yvonne?"**

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"Yeah! Let the boy have a little fun. God knows he hasn't had much in the past ten bloody years!" James said, interrupting himself again.

"He's probably never had a toy in his life." Remus said, a frown on his face an edge to his voice.

Lily looked close to tears.

"Hey, Evans, what's wrong?" James said before he could stop himself. He covered his mouth. "Sorry…"

Lily didn't notice. "My baby… his parents are gone and all he's ever known is neglect and cruelty."

"Lily, it's okay, we can fix that, remember? Harry will never have to go through this." Remus reminded her, patting her on the back.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she just swallowed a lemon.**

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"He wouldn't blow up the house!" Sirius snapped back.

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..."**

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Sirius snapped.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying – it had been years since he'd really cried – but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"**Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, mummy wont let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

"**I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" he shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

"Add bully to the list, Padfoot." James said.

"The long list, may I add." Sirius said.

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hits them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

"Well that's hardly a fair fight, spoiled brat." Remus said.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursley's car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

"So they've probably never taken him anywhere." Sirius said.

Lily was tearing up again. Remus patted her on the back.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now boy – any funny business, anything at all – and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"What? So he couldn't go to school? Assuming they actually took him…" Lily said, horrified. "Vernon Dursley, when I get my hands on you…"

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..."**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursley he didn't make them happen.**

"Accidental magic! He'll be a wizard!" James said, happily.

"Well, of course, Potter." Lily replied.

"He could have been a squib."

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." **

"She did not touch the Potter hair!" Sirius and James said. James ran a self-conscious hand through his locks.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he already was laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

"So, he's bullied at school and at home?" Lily said, her face reddening. James quickly continued reading to get her mind off it.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"Because nobody touches the Potter hair!" The Marauders chorused. Lily rolled her eyes.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Why? It was just hair…" Sirius grumbled.

"Petunia hates magic." Lily told him.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

"Ooh, that is horrible." Peter said, shuddering.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"Muggles…" Sirius muttered.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to****Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was****sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angrily letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jumped behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

"Oh Harry…" Lily said, sadly.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"Prat." Lily spat out. "My son is not something to complain about."

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"**... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

"What's wrong with imagination?" Peter asked.

"Wormy, he doesn't have an imagination, so he can't process anything irregular in his brain…" Remus told him.

"Oh…"

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking question, it was talking about anything acting an a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Like what? He's not a criminal!" Lily snapped.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowed with families. The Dursley brought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop.**

"Well, that lady's nice." Peter remarked.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"He's got Marauder genes." James said, proudly. Lily groaned.

**Harry had the beast morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him.**

"That's a horrible hobby!" Lily said, horrified.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his Knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"Harry was allowed. _Allowed_?" James said, furiously.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"This was a good afternoon? Oh, Harry…" Lily said, sadly. Remus patted her back.

"We should be concerned about the not lasting part." Peter said, worried.

"Yeah, Wormy's right. I hope his magic doesn't do anything drastic." Remus said. Peter looked proud at the fact that his opinion was respected.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all long the wall. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can – but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"SPOILED BRAT!" Everyone yelled.

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

"Well, sorry if nature doesn't bend to your will, brat." Sirius said.

"Yeah. You have to be a wizard for that. And Dudley's a through and through muggle." James said.

"Most definitely a muggle." Sirius replied.

"What are you trying to say about muggles?" Lily said, an edge on her voice.

Remus sensed her temper firing up. "He's got Vernon and Petunia, the most magic-intolerant people ever, as parents. It isn't a reflection on muggles as a whole."

Lily accepted the peace offer.

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quick plainly:**

"**I get it all the time."**

"Can Harry communicate with snakes?" Sirius said, incredulously.

"My son is a Parseltongue?" Lily asked.

"He better not be a Slytherin." James said.

"We'd accept him where ever he goes…" Lily said, loudly, glaring at him. James looked down.

"I guess so." He muttered.

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign** **again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see – so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT ITS DOING!"**

"Shut up, kid." Sirius snapped.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"Ha- fat." Peter sniggered.

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

"BULLY!" Sirius, Remus, and Lily yelled.

"SPOILED BRAT!" James and Peter shouted.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened – one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

**Harry sat up and gasped, the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

Sirius and Peter snickered, while Remus and James tried to hold in their laughter. Lily looked at them disapprovingly.

"It's serious!"

"No, I am." Sirius told her, between giggles. She scowled at him.

"I mean, someone could actually get hurt! The snake might bite them!"

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, Amigo."**

Sirius and James looked at each other. "Harry's a Parseltongue!"

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. "But the glass," he kept saying, "Where did the glass go?"**

Sirius grinned. "It's magic."

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweat tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but buy the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. **

"Drama kings, the both of them." Lily said, disgusted.

"Add it to the list, Pads!" James yelled.

"I don't even want to know- Pads-" Lily looked even more disgusted. James sniggered.

"Lily, his full nickname is Padfoot."

"Oh…"

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak He managed to say, "Go – cupboard – stay – no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"No meals! That's probably why he's so damn skinny. That's child abuse!" Lily said, clenching her fists.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"He has to sneak to get food? That's horrible…" Remus trailed off.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, **

"Oh Harry-" Lily couldn't finish, before the tears started rolling down. James awkwardly handed her a handkerchief.

"Thanks… Potter."

**as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained is memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

"Avada Kedavra." Remus said in a pained voice.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all.**

"He can't remember us…" James said, sadly.

Lily sniffled.

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

Lily let out a sob.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

"He is famous." Sirius said, with a slight smile.

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

James closed the book. Lily handed him his tissue back.

"Hey, everyone. I just wanted to say something. I know it hurts to hear all of this. I hate it. But just remember. We can fix it. We can fix all of it, okay?" James said. Everyone nodded.

"I think we have free period tomorrow before lunch. We can come up here."

"Sounds good, Prongs." Remus said. Everyone slowly left, lost in their own thoughts.

**WHOOO! Second chapter is read. Now, before you yell.  
I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's been so long. That will change. I love you all so much for reading and reviewing and all that good stuff. **


End file.
